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Mountaineer Nirmal Purja killed in Pakistan avalanche, his company says

BBC Published Aug 1, 2026 Reviewed Aug 1, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

Renowned mountaineer and former British Army soldier Nirmal Purja was killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan.

1 · deaths Elite Expeditions, company

The 10‑person expedition that included Nirmal Purja had all of its members die in the avalanche.

10 · expedition members Elite Expeditions, company

Pakistani officials said the bodies of three climbers—American Mallory Geis, Omani Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy, and Nepali Pur Bahadur Gurung—had been recovered from the 10‑person expedition.

3 · bodies recovered Pakistani officials, officials

Nirmal Purja scaled the world's 14 highest peaks in just over six months in 2019.

14 · peaks BBC News, news organization

Renowned mountaineer and former British Army soldier Nirmal Purja is among those to have been killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan, his company has said.

Elite Expeditions shared the news in a post on social media, saying it was with "profound sadness and immense heartbreak" that it confirmed Purja's death in Thursday's avalanche.

It also said it had received confirmation that the other nine members of the expedition had not survived.

The Nepal-born climber was known for scaling the world's 14 highest peaks in just over six months in 2019.

Pakistani officials previously said the bodies of three climbers - American Mallory Geis, Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman and Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal - who were among the 10-person expedition had been recovered.

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